• 100,000 species described
  • estimated 1.5 million species
  • diverse size, morphology and habitats

• Heterotrophic: eat via absorption
  • parasites, decomposers, mutualists
  • recycle nutrients via decomposition

• Cell walls made of chitin
  • ‘mushrooms’ are only a part of the body
  • filaments belowground for absorption

• Wild reproduction

• Oldest fungal fossils appear ~900 mya
  • split from aquatic eukaryotic ancestor 1 bya(?)

• Fossils of fungal spores found in Wisconsin dated to 460 mya
  • suggests origin of land-based fungi

• Fungi and plants moved onto land around same time
  • what was the benefit for fungi?
  • helped vascular plants invade the land!
  • mycorrhizal symbiosis @ 405mya during Devonian period

• Heterotrophs: absorb nutrients from environment
  • decomposers: break down dead things
  • parasites: absorb from host
  • mutualist: trade with another species

• Use enzymes to break down compounds
  • diverse enzymes for diverse food sources
  • secreted outside the cell (extracelluar)

• Specialized hyphae for feeding on live animals
  • hoops that can snare prey

• Specialized hyphae that allow extraction of nutrients from plants
  • mycorrhizal fungi

• Mutualistic fungi have branching hyphae they use to exchange nutrients with plant hosts
  • Arbuscules invade roots cell walls
  • Other hyphae can create a ‘sheath’ around root cells

• ~80-90% of plants have association with fungus
  • fungi exist in/around plant roots
  • share what resources?
  • how much sharing is not known

• 2 main types:
  • Ecto and Arbsucular mycorrhizae

• Association now key for plants to thrive
  • fungi more efficient @ nutrient uptake

• Life cycles can be complex
  • spores are produced sexually or asexually
  • spores and nuclei of hypae are haploid (1N)

• Lots of spores are produced

Sexual Reproduction:

1. Plasmogamy:

2. Karyogamy: